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We've all been there: you get to your apartment door, fish around in your bag and realize, with horror, that your keys are sitting somewhere inside (or at a bar, or the apartment you spent last night in, you get the idea). But the next time you’re locked out, a new service may make it much easier for you to get in without awkwardly calling your roommate or paying for a locksmith.
KeyMe, a service that stores and copies keys, is expanding its network of kiosks in the city this month. Here’s how it works: you can stop by a KeyMe kiosk (right now there are three in NYC, but there will soon be 20) and scan the keys that you’d like to store, for free. KeyMe will then keep a digital copy of your key in a cloud. If you lose your keys, you can log into your “digital keychain” by scanning your fingerprint at any kiosk, and print out a new key right there (prices start at $3.99). And if you can wait a few days for your key, the KeyMe app (also free) allows you to order a copy of your stored key by mail. It also gives instructions for how to create the key, which you can show a locksmith.
Three kiosks have been in the city since last year (at Bed, Bath & Beyond on 6th Ave, 7-Eleven on Bowery, and Rite Aid at Court Street in Brooklyn). But KeyMe is doing a big expansion over the next month, bringing their kiosk count up to 20 in the city by early December, and adding new services. Soon, kiosks will arrive in the Financial District, Tribeca, the Upper East Side, Flatiron, Midtown, Union Square, Park Slope and Fort Greene. And unlike the kiosks that have been around a while (which will get upgraded, too), these new ones will be able to scan and copy car keys as well, even those with transponder chips.
Could it be that the woes of being locked-out in the city may soon come to an end?